Category: Language Arts (Page 2 of 2)

Today I would like you to write a response to the story: The Box Turtle by Vanessa Roeder

Here is a video for you to listen to the story: Video

Write a reading response to the story. Think about what happened in the story. What was this story about? 

Here is the worksheet that you can use to complete the reading response, Story Response, or you can complete it on a blank sheet of paper. Write a short summary of what happened in the book (what happened in the beginning, middle and end) (1-3 sentences) and try to answer the questions:

• What did you think of this story?
• What did you like or not like about it?
• Were there certain parts that were your favourite?
• Is there anything that would have made the book better? What would you change?

You can make your response as long as you want.  Guidelines are below for each grade:

Grade 1’s: 1 sentence for the summary, 2-3 sentences to answer the questions above as best you can!

Grade 2’s: 2-3 sentences for the summary, 2-3 sentences to answer the questions above.

My Example: This book is about a turtle who has a box for a shell. The other turtles made fun of him and made him sad and so he went to look for new shell. In the end, he decided that his shell did not determine who he was; it didn’t matter how he looked as long as he was happy on the inside. I really liked this story because it talks about how what we look like isn’t everything, and that who we are as people on the inside is what is most important. It also talks about how it is important that we know that we are special and unique just the way we are and we don’t need to change for other people. I liked the different “shells” that he tried on and I don’t think I would change anything about this book!

Today I want you to practice creative writing. With creative writing we use it as a way to express ourselves or to use our imagination and tell a story of something that we picture in our minds!  Think of all the books we have read in the classroom and all of the books you  have read outside of school. There are so many great books out there and great authors, each with a unique story to tell. Think of your favourite stories and the characters, descriptions, settings, problems, solutions, and all of the details in them! Today I would like you to try doing the same!

Gr.1’s: try writing 3-4 sentences. Gr. 2’s: try writing 5-6 sentences.

For today’s writing you can pick one of two options: 

1. Continue writing your story that you introduced or started last Wednesday using words from our word wall.
2. Write something new!

*Please note that because Monday is Victoria Day, the next blog post will be posted on Tuesday May 19 (which would be spelling).

Today we will be working on expository writing! Expository writing is writing that describes or explains something. You have already done this kind of writing many times before! When you’re describing something, remember to include lots of description words (adjectives like soft, tall, big, little, scary) so that the reader can picture what you’re writing about. Also, a tip is to pretend like your reader won’t know anything at all about what you’re talking about. Pretend like it’s completely new to them, so you will have to start from the beginning and explain everything clearly. Expository writing includes information writing like textbooks or non-fiction books which have facts. These books teach you about new animals, science experiments, extreme weather, history, and all about new skills.

For today, we will just focus on expository writing where you respond to the prompt and explain your perspective or how you feel or what your opinion is. 

Write a response to the prompt: “Explain what you love about your home.”

*I am the reader, remember that I have never been to your home, I don’t know what it looks like, what’s inside it, or anything about it! So you will have to try to include good descriptions of what you love about it so I can picture what you’re talking about in my head.

My example: I love my home because it has all of my favourite things in it. We chose each piece of furniture, chose the colours, chose where to put things, and have made it our own by changing the paint colour in some rooms and have been working in the garden! I love my home because I know Ollie is always there! I love my couch because it is big enough for us to sit with Ollie on it, and it has a big furry blanket that is super cozy when it’s cold outside. My home is comfortable and welcoming and I love that it has lots of windows so it gets lots of light from outside. I love that my home has lots of shelves for my books and that I have room for a desk to work at. I love that there is room for Ollie to play fetch inside if the weather’s really bad and we can’t go on a walk (he’s pretty small so it’s not hard to find a big enough space for him to play in) and I love that he finds little places to hide his treats!

Now I want you to try it, explain what you love about your home!

*Don’t forget to space out your words and to put in punctuation where it’s needed! 

Grade 1’s: Aim for 3 sentences! 

Grade 2’s: Aim for 4-5 sentences! 

Our Mom’s do lots of amazing things! They are incredible and strong people who do whatever they can to help us! Mother’s Day is on Sunday May 10th and while you may do something special this day or if you spread it out and do special things for your mom every day, today I would like you to do one of the following:

-Make a card for your Mom. It doesn’t have to be anything super fancy, but of course, if you would like to make it fancy go for it! Make sure you write Mom, Mum or whatever you call her at the top. Write a message to her. Think about what she does for you, what you can say thank you for, why she is special to you, what you like to do with her…  Write who the card is from at the bottom! You can write From: or Love: …. Draw a picture and decorate!

-Write a letter to your Mom and write about what she means to you! Why is she special? What makes her a great mom? What do you love about her? What does she do that makes you happy?

Here are some stories that talk about the love between moms and their kids and how much they do for them to make sure they’re happy and looked after. 

Here is a video to listen to the book “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch and Sheila McGraw, it’s a very powerful story about the love between a mother and her child: Read aloud

Here is another video to listen to the book “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein. This book has many meanings and messages, but one message that you might take away from it is how much a mom gives to their child without thinking of themselves. Listen to the story and see what you think!  Video

*You do not need to submit a photo of your child’s card or letter for Mother’s Day as some kids like to keep it private because it’s so special!

Here is an example with some sentence starters if you need them!

To: Mom

Thank you for everything you do for me. I love that we…..

You are special to me because….

Happy Mother’s Day!

I love you.

Love: _________________

Here is our word wall from our classroom. I have also put in a picture of our posters from our classroom which are reminders for punctuation.

For our writing today, please write a short story or beginning of a story which uses some of the words from our word wall. The goal is to use as many of these words as you can for inspiration and for parts of your story or introduction to a story, but a guideline is also listed below.

For example, I could start a story like I did below. I could easily continue this story because the reader is wondering where the story will go next. I used 4 words from our word wall and wrote 10 sentences!  I look forward to reading what you write! Remember punctuation and to try using different words. For example, instead of always using the word “said”, try using other words that add more to the story like “yelled” or “whispered” or “asked”.

Example: One day while drinking a cup of coffee and eating scrambled eggs, I looked out the window and saw someone walk through my backyard. I didn’t know who this person was, so I jumped out of my chair to see if I could get a better look. I watched them for a minute and I saw them take a shovel our of their backpack and saw then start to dig a hole in my garden. I kept watching them and saw them slowly place something into the hole they dug, cover it up, and then they walked away. It was very mysterious! I walked outside after they left, and went to the hole. I got out a shovel of my own and started digging. Soon I hit something hard in the dirt! I moved the dirt away with my hands and instead of treasure I found a mysterious box. I opened up the box and pulled out what was in it. It was a …….

Grade 1’s: please aim for 2-3 sentences. Please try to use 2 of the words from our word wall! See if you can do more!

Grade 2’s: please aim for 4-5 sentences, or more! Please try to use 3 of the words from our word wall! See if you can do more!

Think about what we’ve learned about persuasive writing. Write an answer to the prompt below!

Writing Prompt: “Kids should be allowed to stay up late every day”. Do you agree with this? Why or why not? What would happen if every kid stayed up late every day? Are there certain reasons for why kids can’t stay up late every day?

Here are some sentence starters:

• Kids should be allowed to stay up late every day because…
• Kids should not be allowed to stay up late every day because….
• I agree…
• I don’t agree…

For Grade 1’s please try to write at least 2-3 sentences. For Grade 2’s, please try to write at least 3 sentences. Try to write 4-5 sentences if you can! Or more! Remember to use punctuation, capitals and to space out your words! You can use a blank piece of paper or these writing templates to have something with lines (choose whichever one works best for you). Writing Templates

Dear Division 4 Families,

I hope you have all been doing well! I just wanted to write a quick post to let you know that I signed up for an account for a website that provides access to levelled books. Each child has an account under my teacher account. Use of this website is entirely optional; it just provides more access to levelled books where your child can read independently or listen to a book being read and follow along.

1. To login, please go to the following website 
2. Click “Kids Login”
3. You will be asked to enter my Teacher Username which is: LyndhurstDivision412
4. Select your child’s name and enter their password (by clicking one of the provided images). All “passwords” will be emailed to parents following this post. Please let me know if there is an issue with logging in and accessing your child’s account. Each child has been assigned a “reading level”, however if you and your child feel that they are beyond this level or if they feel it is too challenging, please let me know. If the reading level is a good fit, then your child can practice reading books in the “Reading Room” and to “level up” my understanding is that they have to read a certain collection of books to proceed to the next level. This is my first time using this account for an entire class, please let me know if you have any feedback or any questions!

Take care,

Ms. Chin